Deviation recorded in PBS and SBP trade data

ISLAMABAD: Economic analysts has observed deviations in the trade numbers reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) over the last two months.
According to analysts, historically, PBS reports higher trade deficit compared to SBP due to different recording methods — SBP uses FoB and payment based data, while PBS follows port based clearance data and it is Cost and Freight ( CnF) .
However, during the last two months, SBP has reported a trade deficit that is 20% higher than PBS for two months of current fiscal year
In August 24, following deviation i.e. Imports: SBP reported higher imports in textiles, metals, machinery, and petroleum compared to PBS. Exports: SBP reported lower exports in textiles, food, and other categories than PBS.
PBS data has also shown suspicious figures of rice exports.
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